The Cottage in the Woods
by Gryffindor Rat
Summary: After an attack on Harry and his friends, Harry wakes up in a strange cottage in the middle of a remote magical forest. Armed with only his memories up until he was ten, Harry must learn to get along with his rescuer, one Draco Malfoy. Yet the task is harder than it seems, with Draco painting himself as a horrible person and Harry regaining his memories, image by image. ONE-SHOT


**Hey to all who reads this! If you read one of my other two stores, you would know that it's been a while since I posted a story, almost a year in fact. Well, I now present to my esteemed readers, another Drarry one-shot! I really didn't know what to name it, so it became The Cottage in the Woods. My cousin, Rinhunter, thought it was hilarious, since it makes one think of A Cabin in the Woods and she knows I'm a big baby when it comes to horror movies hahahaha. Despite the similar names, the stories are nowhere near similar and I hope you will enjoy it! I am currently busy writing another fanfiction, though this one will be a lot longer and Harry/Ginny pairing. Keep an eye out for it;)**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Harry Potter, or I definitely wouldn't have spent all my savings on buying an amazing box set of all the Harry Potter books. I'm just another player in their world:)**

**ENJOY!**

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"Run! Harry, run! We'll be alright! Just get away!" Harry ran, the leaves and branches of the forest around him whipping him in the face and leaving scratches on his skin. His breath rushed in and out labouredly, his heart thudding in his chest. He could barely see around him, his glasses lost somewhere in his mad rush. His hands were bleeding, with his nails broken and filled with dirt from each time he fell and had to push himself up again. He could feel the muscles of his legs burning, urging him to just collapse as black spots danced in front of his eyes. He could hear nothing except his own gasping breath and racing heart. It felt as if veins of fire were all over his body, burning him from the inside, all centred on the wound in his side that was gushing blood steadily. He told himself to calm down, to look behind him to see if there were any pursuers, but his body wouldn't obey. He was locked in blind panic, images of his friends falling playing over and over behind his eyelids. Sweat and tears covered his face and a trickle of blood joined it as he bit his lip.

He didn't know how things turned out this way. Everything was fine. He had lived a peaceful life after the war and Voldemort's death. All the major Death Eaters had died in the battle of Hogwarts and the ones left were either coerced into joining his army or such weak wizards they were easily caught and put into Azkaban after their trail. After he had made sure the Wizarding world would recover from the war, using his influence as their saviour to create Recovery homes for people affected by the war and setting up the negotiations between the magical creatures, the muggleborns and the ministry, he had retreated, trusting Minister Shacklebolt to run his ministry competently. He had needed some time to ponder over what he wanted to do. Though he hadn't lost his passion for helping people and still considered being an auror, he wasn't like Ron who immediately applied to the Auror Academy. He first wanted to rest and think over his options, without being pressured by various expectations. He had basically nothing to do with the workings of the Wizarding world, so why did this happen?!

Harry gasped as he tripped over a tree root and crashed to the ground. He didn't even know what forest he was in, only that it had to be magical, as he could sense the ambient magic in the air. He could hear nothing behind him, but that didn't mean he was out of danger. He had to escape the forest and alert the ministry! Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna! He had to save them! But there wasn't much he could do now, as he was without a wand and utterly lost in the dense trees surrounding him. He forced himself to stand up, limping forwards, not knowing where he was going, but driven by the certainty that he had to keep moving. He had never seen magic like the ones their attackers were using. He didn't even know if he was out of its range, but he could risk it. Step by step, wince by wince he advanced forwards, determined to make it out alive. Squinting, he tried to make sense of his blurred vision. He thought he could see a light up ahead and moved faster, performing a strange limping hop as he tried to get his legs to co-operate. He reached out to part the leaves in his way.

Too late he heard the whooshing sound behind him. He turned to see a bright white ball navigating through the trees, rapidly getting closer and heading straight for him. He cried out, trying to dodge it, but to no avail. As the light struck him, he had one last thought of his friends and safety as he fell to the ground, darkness enveloping him.

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Sounds filtered through the darkness first, closely followed by smell. A light shone through his eyelids, tinting them red and he could feel the softness of a bed beneath him. He frowned. Why would he be sleeping on a bed? The only place he was allowed to sleep was in his cupboard and the ratty blankets with the thin, worn matrass in there certainly didn't feel as nice as this. It was even nicer than the time he snuck a feel of Dudley's bed when they left him home alone. Also, there shouldn't be light, his cupboard was dark and dusty, certainly not full of the fresh spring air he could smell around him. The only thing that was familiar was the dry, parched feeling in his throat and the thudding in his temple. As he thought about it, the pounding in his head became more pronounced and he groaned, lifting a hand to block the light.

He curled up on himself, before cautiously opening one eye, followed by the other when he didn't see immediate danger around him. Pushing himself up slowly, he winced as his entire body ached. Lifting his shirt, which was far too nice to be his, he looked at his bruised body in resignation. No wonder he couldn't think well. His uncle must have been in a foul mood to beat him this bad. Judging by the massive headache he had, his aunt had hit him with the frying pan again. Sighing and repressing tears, Harry tried to stand, only to have his legs collapse beneath him. With a cry, he went crashing to the ground, knocking his elbow painfully and pulling on the large wound at his side. There was a ringing in his ears and he groaned again, dragging his legs up and wrapping his arms around them.

Suddenly, he could hear footsteps approaching and he scrambled up, filled with a mounting panic. He looked around the unfamiliar room and spotting a closet in the one corner, he rushed towards it, ignoring the dull thudding of his body. Flinging the doors open, he pushed aside the clothes hanging there and climbed in, closing the door behind him. He held a hand in front of his mouth, trying to muffle his breath as he heard the room's door creaking open and someone walking inside. The footsteps paused, and then rushed in the direction that Harry imagined the bed was. He heard a deep male baritone cursing, before muttering to himself. The ebony-haired boy started as the voice rang out through the room.

"Potter! Where in the devil are you, you idiotic Gryffindor!" Startled that the strange man knew his name, when so little people knew he even existed, he let out a squeak, before quickly muffling it with his hands. The room grew quiet and then the footsteps came thudding in his direction and Harry scrambled up, ready to run the moment those doors opened. He heard the footsteps come to a stop and light streamed in as the closet doors was flung open. Like a shot, he hurdled out, only to be caught in strong arms. Hitting and kicking, he screamed as he tried to get loose and he heard the voice cursing again as his fist slammed into their jaw.

"Potter! For merlin's sake, stay still! I won't hurt you, I'm trying to help you, you bloody prat!" the boy was so shocked that he ceased his struggling. It was the first time someone said they wanted to help him. As soon as he felt the arms around him relax, he ripped himself away from the male and scuttled on his bum so that his back was against the wall. For the first time, he looked upon the voice's owner. It was a young man, probably in his early twenties, with white blond hair and a lean body. He had an angular face with a pointy nose and chin and thin lips. Piercing grey eyes stared angrily at him as a long fingered hand cupped his jaw and Harry flinched. The rage in those eyes reminded him so much of the time he had accidently hit Dudley while trying to run from him and his friends. He was heavily beaten that day and couldn't go to school for a week while the bruises faded.

The stranger huffed and walked forward, though he stopped in his tracks as Harry huddle into himself, lifting an arm in defence and squeezing his eyes shut. "Potter, what in merlin's name are you doing?" Harry thought it weird how the stranger kept using merlin's name, but he knew there were strange people, like old lady Figg who lived in his street and kept an ungodly amount of cats. The stranger sighed and reaching into the pocket of his black trousers, pulling out… a stick? Despite his fright, Harry lowered his arms, looking curiously at what the stranger was going to do with a stick, specially a small one like that. With a sharp movement, the pale haired man muttered something and a small glass floated into the room, which the stranger caught. Another movement with the stick had the glass filling with water.

Harry's mouth dropped open and all his defences came down in his shock. What was that?! "How did you do that!?" He exclaimed, forgetting his fear in the face of this impossibility. The man, who had started walking towards him, stopped once again, staring incredulously at Harry. "What do you mean how did I do that? Did you finally snap Potter? It was magic of course, don't tell me you're really as stupid as you look!" this time it was Harry's turn to gape, before he blurted out, "But magic isn't real!"

"What? Potter, are you daft? Of course-" the man cut himself off abruptly, a peculiar look coming over his face. He considered Harry for a long moment before finally speaking again. "Potter, do you know who I am?" The green-eyed boy shook his head, warily watching as the stranger sighed again, sitting heavily on a chair that appeared out of nowhere. "If I may ask, how old are you?" Looking at the man strangely, Harry thought it was a silly question to ask. One could clearly see how old he was. Maybe the man was really bad at judging age, but then again, people usually thought Harry was younger than he looked. "I'm ten. I'm turning eleven in five months." Harry couldn't understand the shocked look the man sported and he shuffled awkwardly, wondering if he could escape before the man waved his weird stick again. "Potter, what year is it?" Harry cocked his head. Another silly question. Maybe this man was just dumb, if he didn't know what year it was.

"1991, right." The man sighed deeply, dropping his head into his hand, ruffling the blonde hair with his fingers. "Potter, it's not 1991. The year is 2001. And you're 21 years old."

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Harry felt as if he was in a daze. When he first didn't believe the man, he had brought out a mirror and Harry had looked upon what he would imagine was his future self, except that he was in the present. He still had the same untidy black hair and brilliant green eyes, still the same lightning bolt scar on his forehead and scrawny body. Except he was longer, his face aged and he had muscle that he didn't previously have. He didn't look as starved or sickly as he remembered and instead of his limbs looking knobbly and strange, they fit with the rest of his body. He could believe the person staring back at him was 21 years old. He just couldn't believe that it was him.

The man had gone on to tell him of how magic was real and how he had gone to a magic school when he was eleven, and how he had a maniac after him in his third year, was a champion in a competition in his fourth year and how a bad wizard was revived at the end of that year. How he had struggled during his fifth year with everyone believing he lied about the bad wizard's return and how in his sixth year, the school headmaster had died. At last, he told him of how he had fought the evil wizard, named Voldemort when he was seventeen and defeated him. Harry almost couldn't believe it, if not for the fact that he looked as if he was 21 years old and he had scars on his body that he doesn't remember how he got them.

The thing that really convinced him the man was telling the truth, was the flashes of what he assumed were memories dancing through his mind, teasing him with a series of images, but not the story behind them. One of the images stuck in his mind. It was of a snotty nosed boy with platinum blond hair, sneering at him. The boy looked remarkably like the man who had apparently rescued him in the woods, where he found him passed out as he was collection plants for something called potions. Harry decided it wouldn't hurt to ask, since he couldn't keep calling the stranger 'the man'. He looked up where he had been sitting, contemplating everything to see the stranger staring at him, a puzzled look on his face.

"So, who are you? You must know me if you call me Potter." The man started, seemingly jerked out of deep thought and looked at Harry piercingly, before he answered. "My name is Draco Malfoy. We were in the same year at Hogwarts." Harry blinked, before studying Draco further. "We must not have been friends, if you aren't calling me Harry." Draco snorted, before he chuckled dryly. "No, we definitely weren't friends. In fact, we hated each other and in our later years, even tried to kill each other." Harry stared at the grey-eyed man, shocked and suddenly feeling not so safe anymore. He couldn't imagine what would make him want to kill someone. When he voiced this thought, Draco seemed to think for a while, before he slowly answered.

"The evil wizard that I mentioned, he was the one who killed your parents when you were one years old. He tried to kill you as well, but it didn't work and instead he vanished, leaving you with that scar of yours. When he came back in our fourth year, you obviously were his enemy and fought against him. I, on the other hand, was fighting for him. Of course, I didn't actually do anything until our sixth year, but nevertheless, you knew my father was one of his servants and hated me for it, just as I hated you for being who you are. So when the war broke out and you were trying to find a way to defeat him, I was torturing for him." Harry stared at Draco, aghast that someone could speak so lightly of torturing someone else, he could feel disgust welling up in him, and with that disgust, came confidence. "You _fought_ for the evil wizard?! How could you do that? Didn't you know it was wrong?"

Draco stared back at Harry, his face impassive as he shrugged. "Sure, I knew it was wrong later on, but by then, I was already in his army. You don't disobey the Dark Lord." Harry snorted in disgust. "I would never have fought for him, no matter what. I would rather have died." With that one last scathing comment, he turned his back on Draco, ignoring him when he stood up and went out of the room.

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Later that evening, Harry's stomach was grumbling and he dubiously watched the closed door, wondering if he should venture outside it in search of food. He had realized quickly that although he had memories of being able to go days without eating and just drinking water, his body was not used to it anymore and it was a lot harder to ignore his hunger now. The tempting smell of cooked meat which was drifting through the door wasn't helping either. He had looked out the window earlier the day, to see if he could escape and found himself surrounded by densely packed trees. He then remembered Draco's words about having found him in the forest, but that didn't explain why they were still in the forest. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and inched his way to the door, treading softly as he slowly opened it and peered out.

He saw the back of Draco as he stood in front of a stove, meat fillets sizzling in a pan enticingly, with two other pots bubbling contently. He almost banged his head against the door frame as Draco's voice cut through the quiet. "Come sit down so long. Dinner is almost ready." Shuffling forward, Harry reluctantly sat down at the small wooden table. His caution was soon forgotten as he watched in awe as plates and cutlery floated to the table, arranging themselves precisely in front of him and opposite him. The salt and pepper pots soon followed, trailed by two glasses and a jug of strange looking orange juice. Before he could even do anything, the jug poured the juice in both glasses, before setting itself down. He sipped slowly and though he immediately realised it wasn't orange juice, it was still sweet, so he drained the entire glass and poured him some more. A thud interrupted him and he almost spilled it as he looked up to see the two pots being placed on the table, with hot pads beneath them.

In silence, they dished themselves food, Harry being hesitant about it, not sure how much he was allowed. Draco, after an exasperated glance, dished for him. There were chicken fillets, with soft potatoes and steamed vegetables. After Draco had started eating, Harry slowly took a bite. Flavours exploded in his mouth, spices he had never tasted before. Aunt Petunia's food certainly never tasted like this and he was sure his own food didn't taste like this. Forgetting about going slow, he shovelled food into his mouth, quickly cleaning his plate before leaning back. He jerked as he was startled by his body proportions once again and almost tipped the chair, clutching at the table to prevent himself from falling. Draco coughed, sounding suspiciously as if he were sniggering and Harry could feel his face warming as blood rushed to his cheeks. When Draco got himself under control, Harry glanced up again, relieved he wasn't still secretly sniggering at him. Weighing the odds of being ignored, he decided to chance a question.

"Why are you living in the woods? And why can't you take me back home, or at least to someone who could help me get back my memories?" Draco considered him, before swallowing the food he was chewing and answering. "Because I was on the Dark Lord's side in the war, after he was defeated, I had to stand trial for my crimes. They decided that because I was still underage when I was recruited, that I wouldn't be thrown into Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Instead I would be under house arrest at a remote location and my wand restricted. Seeing as I hurt so many people during those two years I was part of the Dark Lord's service, I would spend the next four years brewing potions for St. Mungo's, the wizarding Hospital to make up for it. You see, I'm really good at potions and in fact, I intend to get my Mastery in it after my house arrest is finished. This is my last year being on house arrest in this cabin in the middle of a magical forest. Since this forest is so dangerous, it's really difficult to get this deep on your own and even worse to try and get out. With my wand being restricted, I cannot apparate or cast offensive spells. Even my defensive spells are limited. Once a month, an auror comes to check on me. Unlucky for you, he was here three days before I found you, so it'll be a while before he comes again and you can get out. I don't even have an owl to send a message with, since he also usually takes the potions I've prepared with him. I'm actually surprised you made it this deep with no wand, no glasses and injured without getting killed."

Harry sat a moment absorbing that, before he registered something. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before, but he guessed he had so much on his mind that it just didn't click. He could see perfectly. And he wasn't wearing any glasses. Startled, his hand jumped to his eyes, feeling for the object that he couldn't feel. Draco was watching him in amusement and, obviously seeing his confusion, cleared it up for him. "It's a potion I invented, to correct eyesight. You're actually the first person I've given it to, so I'm glad to see it worked. I told you I'm good at potions." Though Harry was a bit disgruntled to have been used as Draco's guinea pig, he was glad to not have to bother with glasses. They were always getting broken and when Dudley hit him, the glass would cut into his face. He could see better without them now, than he could with them then anyway. Harry focused again as he heard the clattering of dishes and saw Draco floating them all to the sink, where they started to rinse and dry themselves, before packing themselves away in the cupboards.

"You can go sleep in the room which you woke up in. The bathroom is that door on the left there, if you need it. In the cupboard under the sink you will find an extra toothbrush and there is soap and shampoo in the shower." Harry watched in silence as Draco turned the couch into a bed and one of the cushions into a blanket. He turned towards the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Taking a quick shower, he finished his business, brushed his teeth and made a bee line for the bedroom, ignoring Draco who went to the bathroom after him. Harry though he wouldn't be able to sleep, but the moment his head touched the pillow, he was gone to the world.

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A sigh left the green-eyed man's lips as he watched the pale blond gather ingredients for a potion in his herb garden. It's been four days and still there was this awkward air hanging around them. They barely interacted and though he didn't want to be friends with such a horrible person, as was obvious by what Draco told him, he was getting bored and would take any company. He sighed again and watched a bright butterfly fluttering around. As he idly watched the butterfly, he thought how great it would be to have a pet to play with, although he wasn't sure if he wanted a dog. He had terrible memories of aunt marge's dog, Ripper, but on the other hand, he kept getting these flashes of a big, shaggy black dog that filled him with a warm feeling.

Cats was another animal that induced mixed feelings, since Miss Figg with her loads of cats had creeped him out, but at the same time he had a fond feeling towards the image of an orange monster of a cat with a squashed face. He had early on realised he hated rats with a passion, when he saw one on his third day and had thrown a knife at it before he realised what he was doing. He hadn't hit it, but it was a close call and Draco had watched him with a disconcertingly knowing gaze. As he thought about various animals, he got a flash of a white owl, one of the most beautiful ones he had even seen and a feeling of such love and sorrow welled up in him that he didn't know whether to smile of cry. Until he knew why he felt that way, he would definitely not be getting an owl. Another image followed closely on its heels. It was of a pure white ferret, bouncing up and down, accompanied by a feeling of extreme hilarity.

His burst of laughter had Draco looking over at him and lifting an eyebrow. Harry, still sniggering, talked to him for the first time since he said good morning. "I just remembered a memory. I don't know why or what it is about, but it's an image of a white ferret bouncing that makes me want to laugh." An extremely annoyed look came over Draco's face and he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Of course that's a memory you would remember. Honestly potter, one could think you are remembering the insignificant stuff first on purpose." Harry straightened, watching Draco intently. "Oh, you know this memory? What's it about?" the ebony-haired man swore he could see a faint whiff of pink of the pale man's cheeks, but it was gone as his poker face descended. He listened as Draco told him of their crazy Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Mad-Eye Moody, who had turned him into a ferret because he was about to cast a spell on Harry and punished him that way. Harry couldn't help but role around in laughter, ignoring the annoyed shake of Draco's head as he continued harvesting his ingredients.

Suddenly another memory flashed past his eyes and Harry abruptly stopped laughing. It was of a dark night and a blond teenager pointing his wand at a wizened old wizard with a long white beard wearing the most ludicrous robes, which Draco had introduced him to on the second day and he had seen in his memory images a few times. The old man looked quite unwell and the boy sneered at him menacingly. It was gone before he could further study it, but he could recognize Draco and the feeling of love he had for the old wizard. Alerted that something was wrong by his abrupt silence, Draco glanced over and then stood and rushed to him when he saw Harry's tears. "What happened?" Draco's eyes were roving over him, searching for the illusive injury, when Harry turned his eyes to Draco's and their gazes locked. "It was another memory image. Of you pointing your wand at an old wizard with a long white beard." Harry watched as that pale face became even paler and how Draco's eyes flicked to the side before coming back to his. Taking a deep breath, Draco began to speak.

"That was the night Headmaster Dumbledore got killed. I didn't kill him, but I was the one that led to his death. In our sixth year, I was working to repair a Vanishing cabinet, that had a twin in a Dark Arts shop which it was connected to. I let Death Eaters, Voldemort's servants, into the castle by using that cabinet. The entire year I've been trying to kill Dumbledore, since that was my mission that Voldemort gave me. Each time I failed to kill Dumbledore, and almost killed a student. Katie Bell, who was in your House of Gryffindor and on your Quidditch team, as well as Ron Weasley, your best friend," As Draco spoke, images flashed behind Harry's eyes. A girl screaming as she touched an amulet, a redheaded boy foaming at the mouth as he jerked on the floor. Harry couldn't believe the horrible images and focused again on what Draco was saying, "Finally, at the end of the year, I succeeded in repairing the cabinet and let Voldemort's servants in. One of them, a man named Severus Snape, killed Dumbledore and then we ran. In the same attack, Bill Weasley, the eldest brother of your best friend, was attacked by Greyback, a werewolf. Luckily he was in human form, otherwise Bill would've become a werewolf himself, but as it is, he was horribly scarred." Harry stared at Draco with horror-filled eyes, scrambling up and backing away from the man who did those horrible deeds. He ignored Draco calling after him and barricaded himself in his room, trying to get rid of the image of an old man lying broken at the base of a tower.

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The next day, Harry was silent as he ate breakfast and ignored Draco till midday. He was trying to wrap his mind around what Draco told him and the fact that Draco hadn't shown any emotions as he told the story. His feelings were worsened during the night as he dreamt of Draco torturing a woman while Voldemort watched on in glee. He glared at where Draco was brewing a simple pepper-up potion and felt a spike of rage and hate towards him. Uncontrolled, his magic rose around him and he wished he could do something to Draco. Unbidden, an image of his teacher's hair turning blue popped in his mind and when he blinked, Draco's hair was blue. Harry stared wide eyed as Draco continued obliviously, not being able to see his hair as he made sure the two inch long strands didn't fall into his eyes while brewing.

The green-eyed man stifled a giggle and imagined Draco's hair a hot pink. As soon as the image popped into his mind, Draco's hair reflected it and Harry almost had to stuff his fist in his mouth to avoid the giggles escaping. This game continued for a while before Draco heard Harry's muffled giggles and felt his stare. Turning, he caught sight of himself in the mirror, with his hair flashing lightning fast through various colours of the rainbow, making him look like some sort of demented circus act. His mouth dropped open in horror and a strangled sound escaped him as his eyes widened. Harry couldn't help himself anymore and burst out laughing, drawing the horrified gaze of Draco to himself. He didn't see the grey eyes narrowing and the next thing he knew, he was looking down at his skin, which had turned green and silver.

Jumping up, he imagined orange spots appearing on Draco's skin and Draco retaliated with fur growing from Harry's ears. Now a full blown war, both started casting spells and trying to be more creative than the other, running around like crazy trying to dodge spells or, in Harry's case, Draco trying to catch him. Harry could feel himself laughing at the most fun he had in days and he could hear Draco's reluctant chuckles. The usually pale man's cheeks were flushed and his eyes sparkled. His entire face transformed from the cold, aloof man to a warm and happy one, one Harry couldn't imagine doing all the horrible things he heard. A sudden high pitched squeal and a yellow blast interrupted them, as the neglected potion blew up and coloured everything, including the two men, in yellow goo. Harry wiped the goo off his face and laughed as he saw the disgusted expression on Draco's face. When Draco cleaned himself with a wave of his wand, Harry decided that was entirely unfair and scooped up a handful of the yellow substance, flinging it with amazing accuracy at Draco's hair. The pale man froze, staring disbelievingly at Harry, before he flew into motion, and so another war erupted that soon evolved into a game, with both hiding behind furniture as they pelted each other with slime. Needless to say, the atmosphere lightened considerably after that.

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"Draco! I'm bored!" Harry lounged on the couch, rolling his head to watch as Draco brewed yet another potion. "Honestly Potter, can't you find something to amuse yourself with? I'm a bit busy here, since unlike you, I actually need to work." Harry sighed dramatically as he stretched. He turned on his stomach and watched Draco prepare the ingredients, chopping and slicing, shredding and crushing. He was mesmerised by the graceful motions of Draco's hands, the way his long, artist fingers held the ingredients gentle and the flick of his thin wrist. An idea popped into his head and he smiled as he bounded towards the blond, coming to a stop beside him. "Let me help you. I've got nothing else to do and if you show me how, I can help you prepare the ingredients." Draco eyes him dubiously and snorted. "Potter, you were horrible at potions. I'm not going to let you mess up my hard work."

Harry glared and retorted, "My name is Harry, not Potter, and I'm basically a clean slate now. You can show me how to do it and I'll do it the way you showed me. From what you told me of this Professor Snape, he hated me and never taught me how to do it properly. And didn't you say I got really good at potions in my sixth year?" Draco continued to stare at him , before he shook his head and pushed a Valerian root towards Harry. "This root needs to be chopped evenly in one centimetre pieces, like this. The difference between chopping and slicing is that slicing…" as Draco talked, he demonstrated the various means to prepare ingredients, showing the difference between slicing and chopping, how to shred a beetle's wings and how to shred fairy wings. As he talked, he explained how his rare ingredients, like fairy wings, unicorn hair and dragon's blood was all freely donated or, like the unicorn hair, collected strand by strand from bushes where unicorn pass by and leave them behind.

The rest of the evening was spent in this fashion and Harry realised that night as he went to bed that he enjoyed spending time with Draco. It was confusing, since he knew of what Draco did and it was an itch he couldn't get rid of, yet he got to know this side of Draco that he never thought existed.

The next day, Draco invited Harry to come with him as he collected ingredients a bit deeper in the forest, but cautioned him to stay close by in case they were attacked by something. Luckily, since Draco was extremely limited in what magic he could perform, the ingredients weren't far from the cottage and the chance of encountering a creature was slim. Since there were various protective wards around the clearing the cottage was located in, most creatures avoided the general area, preferring not to tangle with wizards. The day passed by amicably, with Draco and Harry talking about anything that interested them. Usually it was Draco explaining how the magical world works, what he hopes to do in the future and telling various funny stories of what he and his friends did when they weren't being judged for being Slytherin. He also explained the Blood War and why it was fought, the prejudice underlining the wizarding world and how the minister is trying to change it now.

Harry found himself becoming close friends with Draco, something he would never have imagined being possible, yet that one itch continued to plague him. One day he decided enough was enough. Instead of wondering what had happened, he was going to ask Draco to explain their school years in as much detail as he knew. He found Draco relaxing on the couch, reading a potions tome to study for the mastery he wants to take. Harry felt a familiar pang, one he felt since he started to get to know Draco and realised how lonely the man was. Cut off from the world for four years, with only the newspaper coming each month with the auror to enlighten him about the happenings. Not being able to talk to anyone and spending his days brewing, studying or collecting ingredients. He had also realised the size of the ministry's disregard towards Draco, leaving him no way to contact them in an emergency and wonder how Draco must feel, knowing they didn't really care about his safety beyond the required protective wards around the clearing. Taking a deep breath, Harry went to sit down opposite Draco, patiently waiting for him to look up. It took a while for Draco to close the book and by the time he set it down, Harry was fidgeting in his seat, though he quickly ceased when Draco watched him.

"Yes Harry, what can I do for you?" taking another deep breath, Harry gathered his courage and spoke quickly. "Will you tell me everything you know from our school years? I keep getting these fragmented images, but they make no sense and it's driving me crazy. I need to know." Draco stared at him a long while and Harry imagined he saw apprehension- and was that fear- in Draco's eyes, before it was masked. "Very well. Remember I don't know all the details about your adventures, so I'll tell you the rumours that I heard or what I experienced self." Harry nodded and settled n to listen as Draco started. "It all started when we met in Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. I was told that you didn't know you were a wizard before the age of eleven and that there were some problems with your letter, so they sent Hagrid to fetch you apparently. When he took you to Diagon Alley, I met you for the first time…"

As Draco talked, Harry once again started to see images playing behind his eyelids, except this time, the story of the images came with them, and the blanks slowly started to get filled in. The sorting hat talking to him, finally yelling out 'GRYFFINDOR!' and the sound of applause and the Weasley twins yelling 'We got Potter!' His lessons in magic and the dragon Hagrid had. The creature who slayed the unicorn, and Fluffy and what he was guarding. Voldemort growing out the back of Quirrel's head. He saw the Diary, the basilisk and his fight to save Ginny. He saw the wanted posters of Sirius, the events in the Shrieking Shack, running from Lupin in werewolf form and defending Sirius against a hundred dementors when he travelled back in time. The Triwizard tournament and the trick with the cup, taking him to the cemetery where Cedric died and Voldemort was revived. The horrible year with Umbridge and their fight in the Ministry, trying to protect the prophesy from falling into Voldemort's hands. Sirius's death. His lessons with Dumbledore and the events at the end of the year that led to his death. His suspicion of Draco. The last year of hunting horcruxes with his two best friends, Hermione and Ron, as well as the obstacles they overcame. The locket, the cup, the diadem, Nagini. All the death at the Fight of Hogwarts. Remus, Tonks, Fred… Snape's double-crossing of Voldemort and his memories. Finding out he was the last horcrux and he had to die by Voldemort's hand. His death and talk with Dumbledore, before he came back. His defeat of Voldemort.

Most importantly, he remembered Draco. The sneering boy who worshipped his father and called Hermione a mudblood. His rival at Quidditch. The taunting and the duels. How he tattled on them to Professors. And sixth year. How he knew Draco was up to something and how he found him crying in a bathroom. How he cursed him with Sectusempra because Draco was going to use an Unforgivable. How Draco hesitated and lowered his wand when he was told to kill Dumbledore, because he was promised protection from Voldemort. How he lied and said he didn't know it was Harry when they were captured by Snatchers. How Voldemort threatened and tortured Draco into torturing others. How he clung to Harry as they escaped the Fiendfire, tears streaming down his face at the loss of his friend, no matter how misguided. How his mother saved Harry and lied to Voldemort for her son. How Harry spoke up at his trial and felt that the sentencing was too harsh, but he could do nothing about it.

Harry gasped, broken out of his memory induced haze, his entire body trembling as his mind was overloaded with memories. He was dimly aware of arms around him and a soothing murmur. He knew now more than ever why Draco painted himself as a horrible person, why he didn't mention how he was tortured, how he was threatened, how frightened he was. It was because Draco blamed himself for all the things he did and thought he deserved this punishment. That's why he didn't make a fuss about it. But Draco was a child when the Dark Lord came back. It can't be expected of him to stand up to Voldemort when grown wizards and witches, far more powerful couldn't, especially not when his family oppressed him into serving their lord and he had no way to escape. Harry felt tears pour down his face and he turned into Draco's embrace, allowing the Slytherin to comfort him as he clung to his shirt. He was babbling softly, about it not being Draco's fault and how he shouldn't punish himself so much, but he didn't think Draco could hear him. It took a while for Harry to cry himself into exhaustion and slip into unconsciousness.

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Harry cracked open his eyes, feeling how swollen and gritty they were. He licked his dry lips as he cautiously sat up, looking around the bedroom he had no memory of returning to the night before. Padding towards the door, he opened it to silence and saw that Draco was still sleeping. Treading softly, he walked towards the blonde's couch which was transfigured into a bed and sat down next to him, watching the sleeping man. The fine blond strands fell delicately over his pale face. Harry noticed for the first time how handsome the blond was, the charm his straight nose and high cheekbones carried. How his lips were a soft pink and delicately shaped. How his eyelashes fluttered as he dreamed. The soft breaths that stirred his baby fine hair. And when Harry tucked the stray strands behind Draco's ear and those eyes opened, he noticed for the first time the hint of blue shining through the grey when the light hit it.

"Harry. Go-Good Morning." Draco said through a yawn, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. His hair was ruffled from sleep and Harry smiled as Draco grumpily flattened it with his fingers. The blond glared as Harry chuckled, before he stood and made his way to the bathroom for a shower. Harry started to prepare breakfast and by the time Draco was finished, Harry had set the table and everything was ready. That day the both of them were brewing potions again, with Harry preparing the ingredients while Draco made the actual potions. After their fifth potion, Harry had enough and dragged Draco outside, saying it would be a waste to spend such an amazing day inside. The Gryffindor threw a blanket on the grass and quickly made a few sandwiches for lunch, along with Pumpkin Juice. As they relaxed, he delighted in telling Draco all his adventures in details and the pranks he and Ron had to pull various times to get back at the Weasley twins. It was an afternoon filled with laughter and Harry couldn't help but admire the way Draco shone when he was happy.

"So, Harry, whatever happened to you and the Weaslette? Are you together now or has some other young bird caught your attention?" Draco teased, eating a sandwich. Harry blushed and stuffed a sandwich whole in his mouth to give him an excuse not to answer for a moment. Yet the respite didn't last long, for Draco lifted an eyebrow and patiently waited for him to finish eating. Swallowing reluctantly, the ebony-haired man resigned himself to answer. "No, we tried again after the war was over, but I guess we both found other things to interest ourselves in. She's going out with some other bloke I don't know well and I guess I first wanted to figure out my life before I started dating. Also, I didn't want someone who would only date me for my money or fame. What about you?" Draco smiled sarcastically. "Kind of difficult to find someone to date when you're in isolation in a remote location." The Boy Who Lived blushed even more, as he mumbled, cursing himself for asking such a stupid question. "But it's fine. I understand that it's to make up for all that I've done, so this is a small price to pay." Harry's head snapped up and he clenched his hands as he felt anger coursing through him.

"Draco, you do know that you didn't deserve this right? You were a child that was forced to follow the most evil of dark Lords in a long time. If you didn't do what he asked, not just you, but your family would also have died. Even then you defied him and saved my life at the manor. You shouldn't be locked away for four years with no friends being able to visit. You know that right?" Draco turned his head away, avoiding the piercing emerald gaze as he refused to answer, but Harry would have none of it. Leaning forward, he caught the Slytherin's chin and gently turned his face back, their faces so close together Harry could see the flecks of blue in the grey eyes. "You don't deserve this. I won't say you did nothing wrong, but you certainly didn't do something bad enough to warrant this. You did what you had to too survive the war, just as everyone did. They don't understand, because they weren't in your position, but it takes immense bravery to live in the same house as Voldemort and come out alive and sane." Harry could see those luminescent grey orbs glittering with tears that weren't allowed to fall, and on impulse, he leaned forward and hugged the blond, holding him tight against his body. He felt Draco's arms coming around his back, clutching at his shirt as he trembled. They sat that way till the sun went down and the cool night air calmed them down.

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They were lying, side by side, watching the stars as Draco pointed out the various constellations to Harry. It was one thing to have astronomy as a subject and an entirely different thing to have a pale finger trace the shapes in the sky and feel the warmth at his side. They laughed over Harry's blunders in trying to identify the constellations and finally Draco had to place his head right next to Harry's and guide Harry's hand with his own. Harry could feel his heart beating faster and his breath escaped him in small puffs of air. The warmth of Draco's hand enfolding his own and his voice murmuring names in Harry's ears caused a blush to spread across his cheeks. When Harry finally traced Sirius on his own, he exclaimed excitedly and turned his head to Draco.

"Draco, look, I did i-" Harry's voice left him as he found himself nose to nose with Draco, looking into his laughing eyes and feeling his breath on his lips. He couldn't help but stare into those grey-blue eyes, mesmerized by the emotion they carried. Without thinking, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Draco's. He froze as he felt the dry but soft lips beneath his and as Draco drew his breath in surprise, those lips moved against Harry's. Harry, without knowing exactly what he was doing, pressed closer to the blond, opening his mouth slightly. He ran his tongue across Draco's lower lip and slipped it into his mouth when Draco gasped softly. Suddenly, Draco was kissing back and Harry felt one hand clutch at his hair as his hand rested on the blond's waist. Their lips roved over one another as their tongues caressed and Harry pressed even closer. He could feel warmth travelling up his body, feeling as if he was being heated from the inside. It was the sudden cold on his over sensitive and swollen lips that notified him of Draco's absence. The blond was on his knees, his eyes wild as he touched his lips.

"I- I'm sorry… I- I can't…" Harry watched as the blond fled towards the cottage and the Gryffindor felt bereft. His actions were just beginning to catch up with him and he groaned, dropping his head on his arms. He couldn't believe he done that. It wasn't that he regretted it, in fact, it was the single most amazing kiss of his life, but evidently he had startled Draco and moved too soon. He would have to think of a way to fix this. Not once did he worry about what it meant that he was attracted to Draco. Such things just didn't matter. Sighing, he pushed himself up and gathered the blanket, plates and glasses, before walking to the cottage. Upon entering, he could see the bathroom door was closed and most probably locked. He decided not to bother Draco tonight and after washing and packing away everything, he went to his room. Sleep was a long time coming that night, especially as he never heard the bathroom door opening.

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The next morning Harry was abruptly woken up by the sound of a large explosion and the ground shaking. It was closely followed by another large explosion which caused the windows to rattle in their frames. Falling out of bed in his haste, he ran to the window and looked outside to see five wizards standing outside the wards, assaulting them viciously. In his mind's eye he could see those five wizards attacking him, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna. Harry hadn't remembered all the details of the attack until now, indeed, a lot after Hogwarts was still blurry, but the attack rushed back to him now. The strange magic they used that hovered around them like will-o-wisps, which seemed to have a life of their own. How he and his friends were taken completely by surprise on their outing and barely had a chance to fight at all. How Hermione and Neville was hit with an unknown spell as Luna and Ron held up a powerful barrier together. How his wand was taken from the get go and he was separated from his friends. How they told him to run as three of the five went after him while the other two continued to assault his friends' barrier.

After almost three and a half weeks, just days before the auror is expected to arrive, they had finally found him. And that meant Draco was also in danger. Just as Harry prepared to turn and run out the door to try and stop them, he saw Draco running out the front door, waving his wand furiously. Harry felt his heart drop. Draco may still have some ability to cast defensive spells, but most of it was blocked by the ministry. He wouldn't be able to stand against all five on his own. Harry tore out of the room, determined to make it in time. Just as he entered the sitting room, he felt the wards fall and knew Draco would be in even more danger. He got a new burst of speed as he streaked out the door, just in time to see Draco being surrounded by the will-o-wisp orbs.

There were five of them, one for each wizard and all five were different colours. One was white, one was red, one was green, one was blue and one was yellow. They circled Draco and darted towards him. The red one burned wherever it touched while the blue one froze parts of Draco's clothes. Harry remembered from the attack the punch the green one had and the electricity the white one shocked you with, which was probably what caused him to lose his memories. He thought he remembered the yellow one tearing at Luna's clothes like an invisible gale. Before his eyes, Draco was ravaged by the elements, which is apparently what these orb-like lights contained. Throwing his hand out, he batted the white orb away from Draco and immediately felt the drain on his magic. "Draco! Watch out!" The Slytherin ducked as the red orb zoomed over his head and Harry was infinitely relieved that Draco was so used to dodging bludgers, despite his lack of playing the last few years.

He watched as Draco transfigured a blade of grass into a steel rod, causing the white orb to be pulled towards it, despite the attacking wizard trying to direct it back towards Draco. Harry ran the last few steps, determined to reach Draco. He could feel his heart pounding and despite the dire situation, his veins heated up at the sight of Draco's fierce and vicious grin. Sending a curse towards the wizards, he caught one of guard as he was trying to direct the lightning will-o-wisp back towards Harry and as soon as the wizard fell unconscious, the orb disappeared. The ebony-haired man glanced at the platinum blond haired one and saw that he realised what this meant. They just needed to knock out the wizards. Attacking furiously, Draco and Harry began the dance of dodging the orbs while flinging hexes and curses towards the cloaked figures, though Draco was quite limited in what he could do and made creative use of transfiguration and levitation or banishing charms. To Harry, Draco's wand was a blur as he cast spells in rapid successive movements, while Harry ignored the fact that he didn't have a wand and just used his pure will to cast spells, using his hand as a conduit. It was immensely taxing and needed precise concentration, but he managed somehow. He wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, but hopefully the aurors would be alerted when the wards fell and be on their way. He just needed to hold out until then.

There were finally just two wizards left and the only orbs still attacking was the yellow orb and the blue orb. Harry was so involved in his attack, that he didn't realise Draco had been injured till he heard a cry at his side. Looking over, he saw the blue orb flashing away, with Draco's wand hand blue and stiff. As if in slow motion, he watched the yellow orb head directly for Draco's face and he remembered the way Luna's clothes tore when it brushed her lightly. He could hear his heart thudding in his ears and could see the pained look on Draco's face as he clutched his hand, desperately trying to get it to move, but Harry knew it would be too late. Flinging himself forward, Harry knocked Draco to the ground and felt the yellow orb smash into his back, tearing the clothes and flesh apart. Warm blood gushed out of the wound and Harry could feel himself losing strength rapidly. He had just enough time to ascertain Draco was uninjured and hear the pop of aurors apparating in, before the darkness rushed over him.

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Drip…drip…drip…

Beep…beep…beep…

Harry groaned, feeling his back aching as he slowly came back to awareness. He could smell the sharp scent of disinfectant and hear various charms beeping around him. Opening his eyes, he had to shut them quickly as the light pierced them and he groaned again, louder this time.

"Harry? Mate, are you awake? Are you alright?" Ron's voice filtered through his consciousness and Harry opened his eyes a fraction. He could hear someone pulling the curtains open and a soft gloom settled over the room. He opened his eyes fully, to see Ron and Hermione in the room with him, watching him anxiously. As soon as she saw his eyes were open, Hermione squealed and flung herself on him, though she quickly jumped up when Harry moaned in pain. "Oh, Harry I'm so sorry, I got too excited! You've been out for three days and I've been so worried, not to mention the almost four weeks you were missing! I thought you died!" Hermione was sobbing in Ron's arms while Ron smiled at him, the relief clear in his face. "It's fine Hermione. I'm fine really." And Harry was. He was back with his friends and safe. Now if only Draco could be there…

DRACO!

Harry shot up, before he fell back with a tortured groan at the throbbing of his back. Hermione and Ron were immediately around him, fluttering with their hands, but hesitant to touch him. He waved them away as he took deep breaths, before asking, "Where is Draco? Is he alright? He didn't get hurt right?" Hermione and Ron traded a confused glance, before Ron asked, "Malfoy? He's fine, wasn't really injured as far as I could see. The git is back at that cottage we found you at. He still has a year of house arrest after all. He'll be fine, don't think about him." Harry could feel himself getting angry at Ron's blasé tone and he snapped, "Don't talk that way about him! He saved my life and looked after me! We became friends!" Ron sat back in shock, snapping his mouth closed. He glanced at Hermione, who was looking at Harry worriedly. "Harry, maybe you should start at the beginning. What happened when you ran into the woods?" Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair, before starting his story.

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It was a week later and Harry had been out of the hospital for four days now. It had taken a while till the healers were satisfied that he had no more traces of the foreign magic in him and he was released. Then he was fussed over by both Mrs Weasley and Andromeda, who came to stay with him in Grimmauld place with Teddy while they made sure he was completely recovered. Harry though of Draco every day, but it was only now, a week later that he could get a meeting with minister Shacklebolt. Walking through the Ministry, he registered his wand, which Ron had found for him after the first attack and kept safe, at the counter, then took the lift to the floor where the Minister's office was located. He strode through the halls, coming to a stop before the minister's door and knocking briskly. It opened immediately and Harry walked in.

"Harry, welcome! I'm so glad to see you safe and well." Harry shook Kingsley's hand, smiling as he sat down on the comfortable chair. "Now, to what do I owe the honour Harry?" Harry cleared his throat, before he started. "It's about Draco Malfoy Minister. I came here to plead that he be let off early from his house arrest. He has been on house arrest for the past three years, with no whining and only good behaviour. He did as was asked of him, brewing potions for St. Mungo's and never tried to escape his punishment, even when it meant he was entirely alone. I would like to request that he does not have to be on house arrest for a further year more." Kingsley rested his elbows on the desk and folded his hands together in front of his face. His dark eyes watched Harry intently, studying him. Finally, he exhaled and leaned back on his chair. "You do realise I will have to call a meeting of the Wizengamot to decide this. It will not be a trail as such, but rather a discussion and then a vote. If that is acceptable, I will call one as soon as possible, present records of Draco Malfoy's behaviour and then your request. I will be able to let you know the result the day after tomorrow. Is that fine with you?" Harry sagged in relief and nodded, smiling as he shook Kingsley's hand and left the office. Now he could only hope.

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Harry apparated to the edge of the clearing where Draco's cottage was located. It was the thirteenth day since the attack and that he had left and it was also the day he had gotten the results of the Wizengamot's decisions. After much discussion, the Wizengamot had decided that Draco had showed exemplary behaviour and thus he will be excused from his last year of house arrest. He is granted full access to his magic again, with a check being done on his wand every second month for the year he would have been under house arrest, but other than that, he was free. And after the year was up, he would be the same as every other citizen. Harry had apparated to the cottage as soon as he got the news, excited to tell Draco, but now that he was here, he felt his nerves acting up. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair before he strode forward. When he was a few meters from the front door, it opened to reveal Draco standing there, surprise and confusion clear on his face.

Harry smiled awkwardly, lifting his hand in greeting. "Hey Draco." There was a moment when Draco didn't do anything and Harry was worried that the Slytherin didn't want to be his friend anymore, if not more than a friend. Then the blond was in motion, rushing over and throwing his arms around Harry's neck. Harry could feel the blond quivering in his arms and he tightened his arms in response. "I didn't know if you were alright. They just rushed you away and I got no news, so I wasn't sure if you survived, because there was so much blood…" Harry could feel the deep, shuddering breath Draco exhaled and his heart ached, yet he was also strangely happy, knowing that Draco cared for him. "Hey, hey, shhhhhh, I'm fine, all healed up, I promise. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." Harry pulled back to look at Draco's face, wiping the tear tracks that were there away and cupping his jaw as he smiled. He still didn't want to move too quickly, so he was hesitant about kissing Draco like he wanted, since he didn't want to frighten him.

However, Harry suddenly felt lips pressed against his own and realised that this time, Draco had moved first. He felt heady from joy as his lips tingled when Draco pulled back and he watched affectionately as Draco blushed slightly. "I-I know that I don't have a lot to offer and that you have no real reason to date me, but… but if you would wait one year, th-then…" Draco trailed off, biting his lip uncertainly as he glanced towards the ground. Harry had never seen him so uncertain and he smiled, tilting Draco's chin up again. "Draco… I would always wait for you, no matter how long. Luckily for us, we don't have to wait. The Wizengamot held a meeting to discuss your good behaviour and sentencing. They have decided to excuse you from your last year of house arrest. Except for the checks done on your wand every two months for a year, you'll be an ordinary citizen. You can start training for your potions mastery…" Draco stared at Harry, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly parted. "Draco, breath." Exhaling a shuddering breath, Draco chuckled dryly, "Don't tell me you don't have anything to do with this Potter."

"Well…" Harry smiled winningly, fluttering his eyelashes as Draco laughed and kissed him again, and again, and again…

And so started their happily ever after.

**The end**

**Epilogue **

_Four years later:_

"Potter you imbecile! You threw my white dress shirt with your red socks in the wash again! I need that shirt for the meeting with the other Potions' Masters today!"

"Uuuuh, love you Honey!"

"Merlin knows why I love you too."

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**Well, I really hope you had fun reading this, I know I had fun writing it! I would love hearing from you what you thought, since reviews inspire me. If I get enough, I might even be inspired to write another (short!) chapter on Draco's point of view since Harry got his memories back (see the blatant bribery! I will even send you a *cookie* with my reply on your review hahaha!) Anyways, keep an eye out for the possible bonus chapter! Until then^~^**


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